'Nothing more important than kids' - Suresh Raina on his decision to pull out of IPL 2020

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were dealt with a huge blow on Saturday after their top batsman and IPL veteran Suresh Raina pulled out of the upcoming season. The left-hander has been a vital cog of the their batting line-up at three over the years and the team will have to find a new hero for the tournament this year. Raina also announced his international retirement along with MS Dhoni earlier this month.

The news was confirmed by the franchise on its official Twitter handle and many heads turned as the development came after several members of the team were tested positive for Coronavirus. India cricketers Deepak Chahar and Ruturaj Gaikwad were among the players to contract the virus while the rest were from the support staff.

While earlier it was mentioned that Suresh Raina pulled out of the IPL due to personal reasons, the man himself has now revealed that he preferred the health of the kids to be fine. “Nothing more important than kids,” the southpaw told Dainik Jagran confirming his concerns over the bio-bubble after his team members were tested positive.

Raina and his wife Priyanka have two kids together, Gracia (4 years old) and Rio (5 months old) and the couple was worried about them it seems.

Suresh Raina also endured a personal loss

At the same time, all is not well in Suresh Raina’s family too. His uncle was killed and four of his family members were severely injured after unidentified assailants attacked them in Pathankot. The incident took place in Thariyal village of Punjab’s Pathankot district. Meanwhile, the cricketer, along with his family, has reached Delhi and has home quarantined himself.

The CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan had earlier stated that the franchise completely respects Raina’s decision. Moreover, the quarantine period of the CSK team has extended and the team will not train until the first week of September it seems. The members tested positive for the virus have been taken out of bubble and will have to test negative thrice before returning to training.